Sunday, 31 January 2010

This little bunny girl got my attention recently as I was hunting for more old pocket watch

faces. I think she will travel with me to Briancon and be waiting on Julie Arkell's pillow one night as a surprise! There's just nothing like a good surprise every now and then to keep life interesting! Hope all of the Violets are doing well and surviving winter around the globe.

When I won the readers survey and ended up in Briancon I would never have believed how many good things were going to come my way. Without sounding too gushy, I am amazed at what a talented and wonderful group you all are and so happy to still be friends with you all. Just look at what I am now the proud owner of.....Thank you so much Becky, I am thrilled to have this charming girl gracing my garden wall, the colours inspire me....

Monday, 25 January 2010

On Sunday, Danielle and I spent some time sharing our collections of books and talking about one of our favorite illustrators - Lisbeth Zwerger. She is Swiss and has the most wonderful style - in watercolor. She has long-inspired me and I look through her books when I need a gentle nudge on a project.

This picture is from her version of "The Nutcracker" and I have loved it for a very long time.

Her colors are so gentle and her imagination sooo appealing. I would like to live in the world she paints...

Like Jone, I had the urge to sew something. I recently found a few old pocketwatch faces that inspired me to create a Julie Arkell type fabric watch. I set it to 5:00, which is when my 89 year old Mother asks for a glass of wine each night...like clockwork!!!!! Have a creative week!

Jone- Here is the vintage hat that I have been systematically "de-flowering" as the papier mache boxes slowly come to life and get posted! There's a great joy in ripping apart a goofy hat to come up with a garden's worth of petite velvet flowers!!!!! LOVE- Oolie

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

I found this little treasure in an antique mall in Tucson and just now noticed that along with "made in Germany", the owner had penned in the date:

Oct. 11, 1955.........the day before my 4th birthday!!!!

I guess this little girl knitting away was somehow meant to find its way into my heart and home! I have always loved these little German wooden figures, starting with the tiny angel candle holders that decorated all of our birthday cakes growing up. I have a few stashed away in a drawer somewhere which I must hunt for one of these days. Today is: finish up a certain papier mache project that is long overdue!!!!!! Fondly- Oolie

Monday, 18 January 2010

I came across these darling little cloth mushrooms in my favorite store, "Bon" in Tucson, Arizona while visiting my Mom over the weekend. Hope all of our pantry violets are happy, healthy and creatively productive in this new year! Mark and I have our "empty nest" back so I hope to get very busy in the coming weeks. LOVE to all- Oolie

You guys have all been so busy, I have had a life of snow and children as of late, so have been unable to be too thoughtful with my own work and have just embraced their world.

Beinn came home from school and had learnt how to make paper cuts outs. "They look like snow flakes", he kept cutting and cutting them, a mound of white paper littered the floor and the more he cut them out, the more that snow fell out of the sky. Large thick, heavy, wet Atlantic snowflakes covering the earth, the trees, houses and cars, showing us everyday objects in a new and beautiful light. In the morning Evan wanted to make a "piglet" his word for an igloo. So out we went and spent hours making our "piglet" the roof proved to be a little testing, but we found branches and covered them in a large old plastic bag and then added more snow on top. Beinn found an old Christmas Tree so we stuck it in front and covered it in snow balls to make it look pretty. They both went inside and had a snack.

I am now thinking about making cut outs to stick on a papier machie house. Beinn loved them and is encouraging me to make a quilt using the idea. I showed him lace on cloth which is very similar and am now mulling over some ideas. Hope you are all well and are being creative in the world. Joanna

Next time you are in the bath, think about this incredible artist who makes these most beautiful images from hair! The images are obviously quite small and are then made into jewellery in the same way that Victorians did to remember them of their loved ones...wow!

Taylor- here is the front of the house with one of my special creatures entitled "picking up twigs"!!!

Thank you for the suggestion! Danielle- lovely to hear a "noise" from you! Good luck with the house idea. I hope to take one more papier mache course with Julie at West Dean next winter. Really lovely to be hearing from pantry violet girls...this is very fun....until we meet again!!! Oolie

Monday, 11 January 2010

I did this posting all by myself....please bear with me...it does takes practice!!!!!! I accidentally knocked over this gorgeous papier mache house in Julie's studio in London this past Sept. and promptly fell in love with it! Sadly, it was on its way to the John Derian store in SoHo, NYC. Lucky me...I found it in the store waiting for me while in NYC in Nov.!!!!!! Julie's unique method of sewing words, flowers, trees, etc. into paper with yarn, and then papier mache-ing them onto a creature, or in this case onto a house, just captivates my imagination and love of folk art. The "sidewalk" leading up to the front brown polka-dot door is varying sizes of wool sewn together. On one of the "thin sides" of the house she has sewn: In My House. I can't wait for our next phone conversation to let her know that her "In My House" now resides in MY house in a place where I see it many times a day! Fondly- Oolie

This wee little snowman is part of a long garland that hangs near our fireplace mantle. Even though I am ready for spring, he and his buddies make me smile and appreciate certain aspects of winter. I have to admit, this "blog business" is kind of fun once you get the hang of it!!!!! Fondly- Oolie

Friday, 8 January 2010

With my daughter's help, I am "MAKING A NOISE"!!!!!!!! I hope this will not be a one time effort on my part....please have patience with me! Featured here is my holiday mushroom tree....the last of the decorations to get stored away until Dec. 2010! You are all in my heart and thoughts and my conversations with Jone, who I will be visiting soon. Happy New Year. LOVE- Oolie (Julie H. in freezing Colo.)

Friday, 1 January 2010

I cannot wait until things begin to happen - all that magical stuff that I have long been anticipating. I know that a LOT is going on and it is just a matter of time before our wishes and dreams come true!!

About Us

"Pantry Violets" are women who met by chance in the Dordogne in France. We came from many different places and walks of life with as many different experiences - each of us knowing that for some reason we needed to be there. Through the course of 6 days, we swam in a salt water pool, ate magnificent food prepared by our hosts, strolled the beautiful grounds, stitched as it drizzled and danced in the sun, rummaged through brocantes, shared stories and ideas, secrets and dreams. We found friendship, inspiration, laughter, tears, simplicity, peace and a strong common bond. We embraced the creative spirit we found in one another and allowed our own to soar. It came to be much more than a workshop. We found new "life long" friends and true, kindred spirits.

We have created this blog to challenge and inspire one another and to continue to look at life and creativity in a whole new way, from a different perspective. We will continue to share our thoughts and feelings and bring our affection for each other to this venue.

Our enduring thanks to Julie Arkell for bringing us together for the little "slice of heaven" we experienced and for her enthusiasm in our creations. We are beyond grateful for her generosity and her willingness to share her knowledge, imagination and graceful spirit.

We also thank Katie, Mike, Carol and Dave for absolutely everything they did for us and for the beauty they live with each day that they so easily shared with us.